From Mithril with Love
by Rogue Amazon Boo
Summary: Relationships, school, terrorists, a pale pink bra? Join Sousuke and Kaname as they navigate the ups and downs of that crazy little thing called love.
1. Control

Disclaimer: I do not own Full Metal Panic, the concept, characters, and back-story belongs to Shoji Gatoh and ADV Films. This is just for fun. I am a poor civil servant so suing me is counter productive.

A/N: This is a series of one shots depicting moments in the lives of Sousuke and Kaname. Some will be a little risqué, some will be poignant, and some will be down right tear your heart out angsty (Is angsty even a word? Probably not, but you get the picture). They can stand alone but are loosely tied together as 'Moments in time,' and they follow no chronology. All that said, Enjoy.

Summary: Relationships, school, terrorists, a pale pink bra? Join Sousuke and Kaname as they navigate the ups and downs of that crazy little thing called love.

A/N and WARNING, DANGER WILL ROBINSON, DANGER!

THIS IS A (I FREAKING HATE THIS TERM) **LEMON**! I WILL NOT TOLERATE WHINING SO I AM LETTING YOU KNOW UPFRONT. THE NEXT ONE WILL NOT BE A LEMON SO IF YOU WANT TO WAIT FOR IT, GO AHEAD AND SKIP THIS ONE.

**Control**

**By: Rogue Amazon Boo**

Kaname Chidori had a plan of action. She'd set the mood, she'd found some very enticing lingerie, and she'd invested heavily in chocolate sauce and strawberries. Her course was set and she would be victorious!

Her target was her boyfriend, one Sousuke Sagara; her mission, to make the military manic lose complete control. She would accept nothing less than his total surrender and then she would reward him for giving her exactly what she wanted.

Kaname suddenly sighed. Loving Sousuke was the most rewarding and confounding experience of her life. He could make her seethe with anger, burn with lust, go cross-eyed with annoyance, and melt with a few honest and heartfelt sentences. Dating him was an exercise not only in patience (Something she found in short supply most of the time) but of perseverance in the face of all things clueless.

This, however, was the one time where her life lessons were not about some deficiency in normality that Sousuke had. No, this time it was about something that, to her great annoyance, he had yet to do in her presence.

Namely…lose control, or more accurately lose control while he was having sex with her.

Sex with Sousuke…was frankly fabulous. He always made it his mission to please her completely and multiple times at that. He knew all of her weakness, no doubt having kept a strict record of where and how she liked to be touched; damn otaku freak!

The problem, however, was that more and more she noticed that all though he loved her and enjoyed their physical relationship; he never completely let himself go.

And dammit she wanted him too! She was tired of being the only one swept away on waves of pure lust and love while he kept a part of himself back from her! She wanted…no needed, to know that they were in this together.

But did Sousuke understand that…of course not! Clueless idiot!

She huffed and attacked the strawberries she was de-stemming with renewed violence and vigor. She abruptly put the knife down though when another bout of musings assaulted her. She sighed again.

She needed to be fair. Sousuke was trying, he really was, but he'd spent so much of his life having to hide what he truly felt that it was still difficult for him to open up…to trust. The fact that she knew that he truly trusted her implicitly, and in ways that he'd never trusted another human being, warmed her and soothed her frayed ego.

The fact that she knew so much about him was testament to that trust.

She paused and her mind drifted back. She remembered the first time he ever told her about his life before Mithril, the life he shared amongst the guerrilla fighters in Afghanistan. She'd been appalled when she realized what had been done to him.

Trained as an assassin, fighting as a solider when he was eight, was it any wonder that he had trouble fitting in to ordinary civilian life?

When Kaname was eight the biggest thing she'd had to worry about was her sister breaking her toys. He'd had to worry about bullets, enemies, booby traps, landmines, dust storms, and the cold specter of indifferent death. It was enough to warp the minds of most people and frankly Sousuke was lucky he turned out as well as he had.

Tears stung her eyes. When she asked him what had saved him from turning into someone like Gauron he looked her straight in the eye and said.

_You Kaname, you taught me that there is more to life than war and death. You reminded me that I am not simply a tool to wield on the strategic field of battle, but a man. I was perilously close to forgetting that before I met you._

Stupid, otaku, crazy, sweet, clueless, wonderful, idiot! Did he have any idea what it did to her when he said things like that! Of course not! And she knew that it wasn't even true!

Not that he lied to her. She was well aware that he believed it to be true, but she knew better. He was an honorable man long before he met her, and maybe his life had been filled with only duty and purpose, but he was never in any danger of ever becoming Gauron.

He had too much discipline to ever revert to the methods of that raving manic. He was too controlled.

Argh, that damnable control! She loved it and despised it! Just once she wanted to be the one to strip him of all coherent thought and reduce him to a simpering puddle of feeling and emotion. She eyed her strawberries and the pink shopping bag that was immediately recognizable by anyone of the female persuasion who'd ever purchased a bra.

Sergeant Clueless wouldn't know what hit him.

* * *

Sousuke was exhausted. He'd been on the De Danaan in the South Pacific going through underwater Arm Slave training, and three days spent with Arbalest was three days too long. He walked slowly down the hall, dragging his duffle bag and hoping that Chidori was home.

He'd missed her, more than he would have been comfortable with a few months ago.

A small, barely there smile touched his lips. Being in love with Kaname was not easy. He would venture to say that it was the hardest mission he'd ever undertaken. There were so many pitfalls and idiosyncrasies about normal human relationships that he just did not understand.

For instance, the last time they'd gone to the beach Kaname had purchased yet another new bathing bikini, this one a thin wisp of iridescent copper against her lightly tanned and toned skin. It had covered just enough of her to dance the edge of decency and he'd almost swallowed his tongue when he saw it.

The truth was that he'd had the same reaction when she'd worn her white bikini that one time and had called upon years, upon years of strict military discipline to keep his features stoic and unaffected. It would have been indecent and inappropriate for him to leer at her, although he was sure his friend and fellow solider, Kruz Webber, would have ogled her all day.

He wasn't Kruz though, and if he'd allowed himself to ogle the woman when he was in Afghanistan he would have been severely punished under Muslim law.

She'd almost made him forget his training and past consequences both days; almost, but not quite. After all, he was a specialist. Still, dating Kaname Chidori and having her dressed so provocatively on the beach had posed a conundrum for the young solider. He had been forced into the position of defending his girlfriend's honor from all the horny men staring at her and hoping for a wardrobe malfunction of epic proportions.

Before they started dating he would have dispatched them with the quickest, most effective means at his disposal, but afterwards, and after many, many blows from his girlfriend's harisen, he was starting to appreciate the value of subtlety and stealth.

He'd interrogate and subdued twenty sweaty young men that day and all without Kaname noticing, which was why he was confused when the got home and she wasn't speaking to him. He asked her multiple times what he'd done to upset her and finally she'd snapped and said.

_Y-You moron! You didn't even notice! Kami, I should just g-go to the beach dressed in an oversized turtle neck and baggie pants for all the good dressing for you does! I swear Sousuke, how do I have to dress to get you to act like I'm sexy and desirable? Do I have to walk out into public naked?_

The events that followed always brought a smile to his face. He'd calmly taken her hand and placed it strategically against the front of his bathing suit shorts. She gasped in surprise and he'd said.

_I've been in this state all day, a condition I found prudent to conceal. _

He'd then grasped her waist and pulled her close so he could rest his forehead against hers and run his fingers up and down the silky skin of her sides and back.

_You are beautiful Kaname. How can you believe that I do not notice such things?_

She kissed him fiercely then and the sex that had followed had been explosive enough for the neighbors to complain the next morning. Kaname was, after all, a screamer.

The slight smile on his lips almost became a grin, but not quite, as he stopped in front of their shared apartment door, put the key in the lock and turned. The low lighting was his first clue that something was amiss. His second was the candlelight dancing all over the walls and furnishings. He reached for his pistol on instinct but stopped himself.

He needed to reassess the situation. There did not seem to be any evidence of forced entry, nor was there any indication of a struggle having taken place. He still would not let himself relax, for when it came to Kaname's safety he felt he could never be too vigilant.

Even if Kaname would disagree.

Slowly he lowered his duffle and started clearing the apartment in a systemic, through manner. When he reached the bedroom he braced himself against the wall, took a deep breath, and opened the door. He came around in a firing stance, clearing one corner, pivoted, and froze.

The gun trembled and his jaw would have dropped if he'd been anyone else.

Kaname stood before him, dressed in a pale pink lacy bra, a slip of what could dangerously be called pink lace panties and just above the scrap of fabric, a pink and blank lace garter belt with the ties loose and trailing down her slim thighs. There were more candles lit around the room and the shadows created an enticing affect on her smooth skin.

A soft smile curved her full lips and she slunk sexily towards him. His mind disengaged and he lowered his gun to his side, staring at her in fascination.

The light that caressed her skin gave the lightly tanned flesh a luminous glow. If Sousuke had been a girl, he would have known that the effect was the result of the lotion, containing trace amounts of body glitter, that she'd rubbed all over her body after her shower.

He, however, wasn't and so didn't realize, but he did sway slightly when the intoxicating scent of cherry blossoms assaulted his nostrils. She stopped just out of his reach and purred.

"See something you like soldier?"

He swallowed convulsively and stood at attention.

"A-Affirmative." Part of his mind, however, was still in protection mode and he glanced towards the window, automatically checking for breaches in security. An annoyed growl was his only warning before the harisen came out and bopped him on the head. Sousuke wondered where the hell she'd managed to hide the notorious paper fan. It certainly couldn't be on her person, not in that outfit.

"That hurt, Kaname."

She huffed. "It was supposed to baka." She smiled sweetly and Sousuke gulped. "Now that I have your attention again, I want you to do something for me."

"W-What Kaname?"

She traced a finger up his chest and played with the buttons of his uniform. He swayed towards her and the next thing he knew she'd taken his gun from him and dropped it at their feet. He almost bent to retrieve it, but the look in her eyes warned him that such an action would be most detrimental to his health.

"Sousuke…remove your shoes and lay down on the bed." He started and a puzzled look entered his intense slate eyes. He was not unfamiliar with engaging in sexual relations with one Miss Chidori but he was at loss to see why she would request he lay down. Usually, by now, she would be kissing him fiercely and tugging at his clothes. She seemed to read his hesitation and with a wicked twist of her lips she pulled out the one phrase that always got him to do what she wanted.

"That's an order, solider."

He snapped to attention, his ingrained training taking over. "Yes ma'am." She watched, giddy, as he crossed the room with straight purposefully strides, removed his boots, and lay down stiffly on top of the comforter. She crossed over to him, noticing the way his eyes turned darker as he watched the way her breast bounced under the lace. She crawled over him from the foot of the bed until she could straddle his hips.

She sucked in a breath. She could feel him straining against the zipper of his fly and mischievously she rub her lace covered mound against him. He jerked and grunted…but damn him, he was still in control of himself. If all went to plan that wouldn't last long. She leaned foreword and her long, silky hair rubbed against his bare arms. He sucked in a ragged breath.

"Kaname?" She shook her head and bent in close enough to whisper in his ear, her hot breath fanning the sensitive skin.

"Sousuke," she purred. "Do you trust me?" Startled his eyes jerked to hers. He searched her honey orbs, wondering why she would ask him that.

"Of course," he replied, no hesitation. She smiled warmly.

"Then I want you to promise me that from this moment on you will do what I say, no questions."

His eyes dimmed. "I can not promise you that." She huffed in annoyance.

"Why not?" He met her hot gaze head on.

"Because if you command me to do something that could possible jeopardize your safety; I will not comply. You're safety is always my foremost concern, especially now that I…"

She placed one slim finger over his lips, stilling them, and considered him for a moment. She had known he would say something like that and part of her plan for breaking his control was for him to be relaxed enough to allow it to happen. She'd planned for such contingencies.

She frowned at him, solemn. "All right, what if I promise that I will listen to you if you feel that anything I have you do might put me in danger?"

He didn't look completely comforted, but he gave her a brief nod of acquiescence. She smiled again, pulled his shirt out of his pants, and started slowly unbuttoning it. His eyes darkened as he watched her pale pink nails and nimble fingers work the fasteners free. Each time she freed a button she pressed a kiss to the soft cotton of his undershirt. By the time she'd finished his eyes were glassy with want.

"Sit up for a minute," she softly commanded. He complied and she pulled the shirt off his shoulders and threw it on the floor. He almost started after it, intent on hanging it up, but she stayed him with a palm on his chest.

"Leave it." Reluctantly he nodded and turned his attention back to her. She smiled again, gripped the hem of his white wife beater, pulled it over his head, and tossed it in the same place she'd tossed his other shirt. She gently placed her hands flat against him and pushed him back down.

He lay down; his eyes questioning once again. When she scrapped her nails lightly over his flat brown nipples he bucked his hips. She sighed in pleasure as she ran her hands up and down the hard muscles of his toned chest. Kami, she loved the feel of his hard body under her hands, he was like a living granite statue, with the exception of the many scars marring the perfection.

She bent her head and her hair brushed against him while she ran her small pink tongue along one jagged line of raised flesh. Sousuke moaned. She made sure to drag her hair along his chest when she pushed herself back up, knowing how much he loved that. He didn't disappoint her. A strangled sound escaped him and she could see him fighting to retain his composure.

_Not tonight baka,_ she thought, affectionately. She rubbed her lace clad breast against him as she whispered.

"Put your hands above your head." He titled his head and slowly complied. That was when Kaname pounced. She grabbed his right wrist and looped the silky restraints she'd prepared earlier over and pulled the knot tight, and did the same thing with the left before he could protest. She sat back up and looked down at him in smug satisfaction.

Sousuke narrowed his eyes and tested his bonds, finding them quite sufficient.

"Kaname no, you must release me. How can I effectively protect you if I am bound to the bed?"

She shook her head, negative, reached over to her nightstand and took out a few items. The first was a sharp knife, which she laid on the top of the stand, next to that she put a tazer, and lastly she held up the remote that operated the advanced electronic security system that he'd installed the day they'd moved in together.

She lazily hit the button and the light on the remote flashed armed.

"The tazer is in case someone comes in and I need to defend myself, the knife is so I can free you quickly, and I've armed the system at maximum. Do these measures meet with your approval?"

He gave her a tortured look. "Kaname…" She silenced him by laying a finger over his lips again.

"You said you trusted me." He frowned.

"I do but…" She shook her head.

"No, no buts. This is my time. I need to do this Sousuke, please."

Her pleading had a greater affect on his resolve than a thousand tantrums would have. When she looked at him like that he found himself powerless to deny her anything.

"Your measures appear sufficient," he murmured. She rewarded him with a smile that shamed the sun. He graced her with that barely there turn of his lips that most people wouldn't recognize as a smile. Kaname considered it a good start.

"Now that I have you here, helpless, just what should I do with you?"

He stiffened. "I assure you Kaname, I am never helpless." The look she bestowed on him would have turned the devil green with envy.

"Oh…but you will be." She laughed lightly and opened the drawer of the other night stand and took out the bowl of chilled strawberries and the bottle of chocolate sauce. She grabbed the bottle and Sousuke yelped when she squeezed a line from his abdomen to his chest.

"Kaname what…" His words died in a strangled gasp as she grabbed one of the strawberries, swirled the ripe red fruit in the sauce pooling on his stomach, and brought the treat to her cherry lips. She bit into it with strong white teeth and her tongue peaked out to catch the sauce that had smeared at the corner of her lips. He watched her chew, fascinated, and his already painful erection, doubled in size. Her eyes went wide when she felt him grow against her and twitch.

"Ohhh my, someone's happy to see me." She ground against him and he groaned. She wiggled again, grabbed another strawberry, swirled it, and held the fruit to his lips.

"Eat it, Sousuke." He complied, making sure to suck her finger into his hot mouth before releasing her. She tsked.

"Now, now, that was naughty. I might have to punish you for that."

She held her hair away and bent her head and proceeded to lick and suck all the sauce she poured on him. Sousuke pulled the satin restraints taut as he arched into her. When she'd lovingly licked off the last drop he collapsed, panting like he'd just gone through hell week at basic. When she dipped her velvet tongue in his belly button he gurgled. Kaname giggled. It seemed her plan was working, but he still wasn't wild enough. She shimmed down his body, unbuckled his belt, slowly worked the zipper over the hard bulge there and she heard him hiss as she pulled his pants and boxers down his legs and threw them on the floor.

To her delight he didn't make any attempts to follow the garments. Crawling back up his legs she faced his very proud erection and gently blew on it. She watched it bob of its own accord and she heard the harsh gasp Sousuke made.

"Kaname," he growled through gritted teeth. She gave him an innocent look.

"What Sousuke?"

"I want to touch you." She shook her head.

"No…not yet. I told you Sousuke this is my time. But maybe I can help you with this little problem you seem to be having."

He mumbled something that sound suspiciously like, 'It's not little,' but she couldn't be sure. As she looked at his painful arousal she had to agree. Sousuke was most definitely not small. In fact she'd go almost so far as to say he was gifted, but she was biased. She grabbed the chocolate sauce and two more strawberries and dribbled the brown liquid down the length of him.

His hips jerked and when she ran a strawberry from base to tip and swirled it, he gargled her name. She sensuously bit into the fruit and she felt her own pulse leap. It tasted like Sousuke. She ran the second strawberry in the opposite direction and this time she licked it before eating the whole thing. Sousuke's breathing had become erratic and he was pulling at his bonds again.

She looked at him with hooded eyes, reached for the clasp in front of her bra, and freed her breasts. His eyes went right for the peaked nipples and he worked his jaw hungrily. She dropped it on the floor, bent down and licked chocolate off the underside of his straining cock, pausing only to tongue the head. His eyes almost rolled back into his head and before he could recover she took him deep into her mouth.

He hardly ever let her do this for him and Kaname knew it was because it drove him insane. It was the most sure fire way to reach her goal. After all, she'd been studying his weaknesses too. She bobbed her head up and down, humming and using her tongue intermittently. Sousuke started bucking his hips involuntarily. If she could have smiled she would have. She was finally making him lose some of that iron control.

"K-Kaname stop…please…I'm going to…"

He didn't get to complete that sentence. He arched. Kaname felt him contract in her mouth and pulled up so she could keep the tip in and swallow what he gave her. When she licked off the last drop, she pulled away with a tiny pop and felt warmth suffuse her. The taste of seed and chocolate sauce almost undoing her. Sousuke was gazing at the ceiling with glassy eyes and he'd fallen, boneless, back to the mattress. She crawled up his body, dragging her breasts along his skin, and captured his lips in a deep kiss.

Sousuke pushed his chin up, trying to gain leverage but she teased him with quick darts of her tongue rubbing against his. She pulled away and looked into his eyes. He was gazing at her like a starving shipwreck survivor looking at the last coconut on the uninhabited island he'd been stranded on. It thrilled her and caused her already damp panties to become saturated.

"I have to touch you," he whispered fiercely. She responded by offering him her right nipple. He latched on, tugging slightly with his teeth causing her to gasp and when he soothed the hurt with his hot tongue and suckled lightly, she moaned. When she offered him her other breast he treated the hard peak to the same treatment and growled when she pulled away. He strained against his bonds again, trying to follow.

"Uh-uh, just feel," she said, and trailed her hair down his chest, over his stomach down his thighs to his knees and back up again to rub against his sex. He'd already started to harden again while he suckled her breast, but the feel of her hair sent all the blood rushing down south again.

He was even more erect than before and Kaname felt her breathing grow labored. She got up off the bed and made sure to stand in his line of sight as she worked the garters and panties down her legs and kicked them aside. She stood before him and almost came at the look in his slate eyes.

He looked feral. He'd never looked at her like that before. She moved back to the bed and straddled him again, her mound resting against his abdomen. She could feel the muscles jerk and contracted were her moisture leaked on his skin.

"Now solider, let's see how you like this." She pushed herself up, gently wrapped her fingers around his sex, and guided the tip to her entrance. Slowly, deliciously she sunk down on to him and he grounded out her name. When she had him half way in she pushed down fast and took him hard to the hilt. He bucked and she moaned.

He felt so good, filling her, stretching her to the limit and she whimpered when she started to push herself up and down, riding him. Sousuke was fighting with his restraints, desperate to touch her, but she didn't notice. Her head thrown back, eyes tightly closed, and perfect breasts thrust forward she bounced up and down on his cock, taking her pleasure. He tried to buck with her, but he had no leverage.

Sousuke suddenly screamed in frustration and Kaname's shocked brown eyes flew to his. She watched in stunned fascination as he roared, the muscles in his arms straining. The bond on his right wrist must have had some sort of defect because it suddenly snapped and he was free. Wild he grabbed the knife, cut his other hand free, and threw the knife on top of the nightstand before wrapping his fingers around Kanme's hips and slamming her down on top of him.

She screamed in pleasure and Sousuke growled, using his considerable strength to push her up and pull her down. She looked into his eyes and he saw what she'd longed to see. He was mindless with want, almost violent, as he pushed into her and brought her down on him again and again and again.

Hips slapped and sounds of ecstasy filled the air. Finally it was too much for Kaname and she came screaming his name. Sousuke made sound not unlike a wild animal and they collapsed next to each other, panting, exhausted, stated. Kaname had a dreamy smile on her face when she turned to him, but it faltered when she saw the look in his eyes.

He looked ashamed of himself. "Sousuke?" She questioned. He tried to collect himself but he was still feeling the after affects of his total loss of control.

"I-I'm s-sorry, Kaname. I didn't want to be so rough with you and I'm dishonored by my conduct and my loss of discipline. I h-hope you will forgive me. I know I have failed in my duty to p-protect you and you probably w-will never allow me to t-touch you again. I will accept this punishment with all…"

She cut him off with a kiss and he started in shock. When she pulled back he was surprised to see the soft look in her eyes.

"Sousuke, I wanted you to take me like that. I wanted you to lose control. In fact, I practically forced it on you."

She gently ran her fingers through his shaggy dark hair and he frowned at her in confusion.

"I don't understand." She rolled her eyes.

"Baka, you never let yourself go with me, not completely. I needed to know that you could." She blushed and continued. "I needed to know that y-you t-trusted me enough to give me everything."

His features looked troubled.

"I-I'm sorry. I had no idea. I was just afraid that…I was afraid that if I didn't keep control, I would do exactly what I did and hurt you. I don't want to hurt you, Kaname."

She gave him an annoyed and affectionate look, a look that only she could pull off and one that she reserved just for him.

"Sousuke, you moron, did I sound like I was in pain? I don't think you've ever made me…" She trailed off and blushed crimson. She'd been about to tell him that she'd never had an orgasm like the one he'd just given her, but she couldn't get the words out.

He still looked like he wanted to beat himself up and she sighed.

"Stop it solider. It felt good, I loved it, and I hope you let yourself go like that again."

He responded by pulling her close and she snuggled against him. After a few moments he spoke.

"I love you, Kaname."

She kissed his forearm. "I love you, too"

Silence again. "So you really do like it when I lose control?" He sounded hopeful and she smirked and twisted in his arms so she could meet his eyes.

"Yes," she said, and kissed him. He kissed her back with growing passion and she felt the evidence of his desire growing against her belly. She moaned and gasped when he suddenly flipped her over and deftly tied her hands above her head with the remainder of silk bonds he'd retrieved from the bed post.

"W-What…SOUSUKE!"

"After careful analysis of the situation I have decided that I too, enjoy seeing you lose control, and thus have decided to find the most effective approach to accomplishing my mission."

"Sousuke," she growled in warning and then gasped as he started kissing his way down her body. When he parted her thighs and buried his dark head between them she swiftly forgot her annoyance and moaned loudly.

_Maybe giving him some control right now wouldn't be such a bad idea._

It was the last coherent thought she had for the rest of the night.

Fin.


	2. Sins of a Solider

Disclaimer: Same as before. Except for the lemon, no lemon this time.

**Sins of a Solider**

**By: Rogue Amazon Boo**

"_**There never was a good war, or a bad peace."**_

_**Benjamin Franklin – Poor Richard's Almanac**_

Kaname Chidori stood by her bedroom window and gazed across the expanse at the apartment building where Sousuke lived. She had just put on her pajamas and had been getting ready to go to bed, when she felt herself drawn to the light glowing brightly from his window.

There was a full moon tonight and it bathed everything in a soft white haze, dispelling the usual shadows.

"Sousuke," she whispered and sighed.

He'd been acting strangely lately and she was concerned about him. She rolled her shoulders, working the kinks out, and rested her forehead against the glass. She could see his shadow pass by ever so often and knew that he was still awake.

She had stopped herself hourly from going over there and demanding that he tell her what was wrong, but then she remembered what had happened at school earlier today.

_Kaname walked through the halls of Jindai High School lost in thought. Around her chaos ensued. The Rugby team stuffed a helpless nerd into a locker, Mizuki stood with a gaggle of boys flirting shamelessly, and in the distance the science club was engaged in a verbal sparring match with the photography club in yet another dispute about the lack of club space on school grounds._

_The only thing missing were the random explosions usually provided by her military manic. She chanced a glance back at Sousuke and found that he was staring straight ahead, ignoring the things going on around him._

_Usually by now, he would have disabled the rugby team, probably dropped a smoke grenade to dispatch the loitering, horny boys in the hall, and would have started citing various treatises to try and mediate the dispute between the two clubs. The fact that he hadn't done any of those things surprisingly disturbed her._

_Kaname bit her lip and looked away when he met her eyes. Come to think of it, Sousuke hadn't had an otaku moment all week, not since he'd returned from his last mission. She should be thrilled, but instead she was worried._

_He looked terrible. His normally intense eyes looked bruised and dead from lack of sleep and his spine had lost some of the starch that defined his posture. _

_She glanced at him again and noticed that his uniform shirt was mis-buttoned. If she knew anything about her bodyguard it was that Sousuke was always impeccable put together. Clothes ironed and starched, pleats razor sharp, and shirts buttoned and tucked in accordance to regulation._

_It had nothing to do with vanity, but was ingrained in him the same way his pavlovian response to following direct orders was. _

"_Is something the matter, Miss Chidori?"_

_She jumped a bit when he spoke and dropped back so that they were walking side by side, their shoulders brushing occasionally. She wasn't one to beat around the bush, so she asked, perhaps a bit more harshly than she should have._

"_Yeah there is. What's your damage, Sousuke? You've been weird since you got back."_

_His ridged posture went even stiffer. He looked away and surveyed the hall._

"_I assure you Miss Chidori there is nothing that will prevent me from fulfilling my duty in protecting you. It is not a problem."_

_Kaname's temper flared. "Yes Sousuke, it is a problem. You haven't blown anything up, threatened anyone, or generally behaved like the crazy otaku you are for almost a week!"_

_He shrugged and the laconic gesture enraged her more. "It should please you that I have not done any of those things. Do they not exasperate you?"_

"_Of course they do," she growled. "But that doesn't mean…ugh! I swear you are so annoying!" _

_Usually when she got mad at him like this he would look at her like a kicked puppy and apologize. He did neither this time._

"_Miss Chidori as I said, it is not a problem. Let it go." It was an order. She blinked at him in surprise and her hand tightened on her harisen, but before she could raise it and hit him, he walked away. _

"_You…you…" She was apoplectic with rage. He ignored her. Kaname watched him go, her mouth gapping like a landed fish._

She shook herself back to the present. Sousuke never ignored her, even on those days when she really, really wanted him to disappear and pretend she didn't exist. She frowned. Now that her anger had cooled she thought back on their conversation. He hadn't denied that there was something wrong with him, he'd simply told her it wouldn't interfere with his duty and wasn't a problem.

She looked across the street again. His light was still on. Making a decision she slipped her feet into her slippers, left her apartment, looked both ways, and crossed the road.

It was time for some answers.

* * *

Sousuke was pushing his body up and down, the muscles of his forearms and back contracting as he counted off his push-ups.

"247, 248, 249, 250…"

He continued counting trying to banish his latest dream to the recesses of his mind where it was hopefully dissipate for a time, but no such luck. He would have scowled darkly if he was the type to do so. As he counted the tormenting visions danced behind his eyelids and he pushed himself harder.

"256, 257, 258, 259, 260…"

"_Dammit Kurz I told you not to come back for me! That was a direct order Sergeant!"_

_Kurz's normally playful features were hard and determined as he strained to shift the broken metal beam that was pinning Melissa down. She screamed and he cursed as blood started to flow more freely. She was injured dammit and they needed to get her out of here, right the fuck now!_

"_Sousuke a little help!"_

Sousuke gritted his teeth and tried to ignore the voices in his head.

"263, 264, 265, 266, 267…"

_The young Mirthril solider ran up to his friend and comrade and made a quick scan of the area. His commanding officer was trapped in her Arm Slave and their enemies could be on them at any moment. _

"_This place is not secure. We need to go." Kurz turned on him and spat._

"_No way, not without Mao."_

"_Baka, I told you to fucking leave me! The microchip is too fucking important!" Webber glared at her._

"_Stow it, sis. You can beat my ass later, but we are not leaving you." He turned to Sousuke. "Help me." The young solider nodded once and both men put their weight into the metal. It squealed and moved half an inch._

"_Dammit, we need leverage. I'll grab that branch, stay here." Sousuke nodded again._

_Melissa screamed. "You stupid moron! Damn you Kurz, if I get out of here alive I fucking swear to Christ, the virgin Mary, all the apostles, and the saints that I'm gonna stick my boot so far up you arse that…"_

_A quick movement by Sousuke startled her and she shut up. The young solider had pivoted and pointed his weapon into the trees, he'd been the only one to see the flash of light._

"270, 271, 272, 273, 274…_"_

_The sniper met Sousuke eyes, and by the trajectory he could see that they barrel was aimed right at the top of the Sargent Major's head. He was going to kill her. He saw the sniper's knuckle tighten, and Sousuke fired…_

The sweat was dripping now and his arms were shaking, but he didn't stop, couldn't stop. He just wanted to drop were he was in exhaustion, so he wouldn't remember what came next.

_...the sniper fell from the tree and hit the ground, dead. Slowly and cautiously the young solider started towards his fallen prey…_

A loud insistent knock at the door interrupted him. Frowning he pushed himself to his feet, grabbed his pistol, and flattened himself on the wall beside the door.

"Who is it?"

An annoyed huff. "It's Kaname you baka, open the door."

"Password please."

"Sousuke," she growled in warning. He was not to be deterred.

"I can not allow you to enter without the password. How else am I to know for certain that you are, indeed, Miss Chidori."

"Because you know my voice, idiot!"

"Password," he said, flatly.

"Urgh…fine. Bonta-kun."

He lowered his weapon and opened the door. Kaname was poised to beat him with her harisen, but she froze in mid-swing.

"S-Sousuke…what happened to you?"

He was drenched in sweat and his hair was plastered to his forehead. The dark circles under his slate eyes were more pronounced, making him look like someone had punched him in the face repeatedly, and his normally dark complexion was pale. He was swaying on his feet and he looked like he could barely stand.

He straightened as much as he could and said. "Was there something you needed Miss Chidori?"

She narrowed her eyes and pushed her way passed him, grabbing his wrist and dragging him with her.

She startled him. "K-Kaname…what are you…" He didn't finish his sentence. She'd dragged him over to the sofa and pushed him down. He sat with an oomph and she sat down right in front of him on the coffee table. She crossed her arms.

"Now that we're comfortable, we are going to sit here until you tell me what is going on with you?"

He looked away from her and stared at the wall. His face revealed nothing.

"There is nothing that will hinder my duty, it is not a problem."

She leaned in and placed her hands on his thighs. He jerked in surprise and met her brown gaze. She tightened her hands and her nails dug into his legs. He winced.

"I didn't ask you if anything hindered your duty. I asked you what's wrong with you, Sousuke. You're obviously not sleeping and you're not acting like yourself. So, tell me already…you're freaking driving me insane!"

The young sergeant could be just as stubborn as Kaname when it came to certain things, like her protection, and he wasn't about to tell her why he hadn't been sleeping. In a way Sousuke saw his silence as simply another form of protecting her, and if there was one thing in this world that he took deadly seriously, it was keeping Kaname safe.

Agitated, but not showing it, he moved to get up so he could walk away from her. She wasn't having any of it. In a move so quick it would have made him proud, if he'd been in his normal frame of mind, she shifted until she was sitting on his legs and straddling his waist. Normally, she would have been tomato red with embarrassment, especially since she was on his lap, but she had more important fish to fry right now.

Sousuke froze.

"K-Kaname, please…what do you think you're…"

She bopped him on the head.

"Quiet. You're going to answer my questions if I have to pin you to this couch all night!"

He twisted, but she responded by tightening her thighs and grabbing his shoulders hard. He winced. She growled and poked him in the chest.

"And don't you dare use some crazy otaku move to throw me off! I want answers and I want them now!"

Sousuke was sweating again, but this time it was from nerves and that funny feeling he always got in his stomach when she got to close to him. The only parts of her body in contact with his were her legs and hands, but she was so close he could see the different hues of amber, russet, gold, and chocolate that made up the swirls in her eyes.

He realized something, looking into those hypnotic orbs. She was serious about her threat. With something that would be seen as simply a lessoning of tension in someone else, but for Sousuke was a defeated sigh, he relented.

"I can not tell you much for a great deal of the information is classified."

Her eyes softened, and her features turned from annoyed to receptive in the blink of a second, once she realized he was going to give her what she wanted.

"Tell me what you can." He nodded curtly, and his gaze returned to the wall beyond her. He knew couldn't look into her eyes and be able to tell her what had happened.

"Sgt Major Mao, Sgt. Webber, and myself were dispatched to an island whose location I can not reveal, to you to retrieve a…something of great importance for Mithril. The mission ran smoothly and we were approaching the extraction point when we we're ambushed. Both the Sgt Major's and Sgt Webber's Arm Slaves were damaged. Sgt. Webber ejected and detonated his Arm Slave, but the Sgt Major had become trapped in hers.

She'd taken a blast and one of the support beams had pinned her and another had driven clean through her shoulder. She told us to leave her, but Sgt. Webber refused to do so. We attempted to free her from the damaged Arm Slave. During this operation I saw a glint of metal in one of the trees. There was an enemy sniper there and he had the Sgt. Major in his sights. I followed my training and fired center mass. The sniper was killed."

Kaname frowned in puzzlement. That scenario sounded pretty much par for the course for a Mithril operation. There was something he wasn't telling her.

"Was Melissa hurt badly?"

"Negative. We were able to free the Sgt. Major and make it to the extraction point on time."

Her frown deepened and she gently put her hand on his cheek and forced him to meet her eyes. Reluctantly he turned.

"What aren't you telling me, Sousuke?"

He tried to look away again, but she caught his chin firmly.

"Tell me," she whispered and gasped when she watched pain, remorse, and shame flitter through those fathomless depths, before turning to stone once more.

"T-The s-sniper. He turned out to be a ten year old boy. I…"

He hated that he was shaken by the fact that the enemy was a child. After all, when he'd first started fighting he had only been two years younger than the boy he'd killed, and he knew that no one he'd ever fought against would have regretted putting a bullet in his skull. It still didn't stop the boy's face from haunting him.

But it shouldn't be. He shouldn't have cared. The child would have killed Mao without hesitation or remorse. He had done his duty.

So why wouldn't his enemy's ghost leave him alone?

Kaname had gone very still and he could see her expressive eyes fill with horror, incomprehension, and to his immense surprise, compassion. He'd thought she'd be disgusted by him.

"Oh Sousuke," she whispered, and to his further shock she suddenly leaned forward and pulled him into a tight hug. He found himself powerless to stop his arms from coming up and holding on to her warmth, while she tucked her head against his chest. He rested his chin atop the crown of her silky hair and he felt her sigh.

Something bubbled up deep inside him, something foreign, frightening, and glorious.

A single tear rolled down his cheek, and then another, and another. The leak of moisture didn't last long, but for Sousuke it was as close as he'd ever come to bawling his eyes out like a baby. He instinctively tightened his hold on Kaname and whispered.

"Kaname…am I a monster?"

She felt tears prick her own eyes and she snuggled closer.

"Would you have killed him if you'd known he was only a boy?"

He struggled internally with that question. All his life an enemy was simply an enemy. You either killed them or they killed you, but now? He was honest enough with himself to realize that something had started to change in him, and it had started to change the moment he met Kaname Chidori.

"He would have killed Sgt. Major Mao. Even if I'd known I would have had to kill him…but I…" _Regret it deeply, far more deeply than I ever thought possible._

She didn't say anything and for some reason he felt compelled to continue.

"I-I've killed before, Kaname and I'll do it again when I have too…but I've never taken pleasure out of it…I've never…."

She shut her eyes tightly and held on to him. She'd known Sousuke had killed people, even though she didn't like to think about it too much. Sometimes it was so much easier seeing him as the crazy military nut who blew up his locker because he didn't understand the concept of a love letter, but then there were those other times…times like now when she was forced to see the other side of Sousuke…the darker side.

It was this side that made her hesitate to let him know that she lo-cared for him, in more than a friendly way. She wasn't all together sure if she could handle it. Was he a monster? No…no she didn't see him that way. How could she when she'd seen how deeply he cared for those around him, and how hard he would fight for what he believed to be right.

She sighed deeply. He was such a complex boy, and really, she wouldn't have him any other way. She gently pushed out of his arms and he reluctantly released her. He was looking at her as if he expected her to be disgusted by him, so she gave him a soft, reassuring smile. She was still smiling when she stood up and tugged at his fingers.

"Come on." Confused he allowed himself to be led. When she pulled him into his bedroom he became even more puzzled.

"Kaname?" She didn't say anything as she went to his night stand and pulled out a pair of boxers and a t-shirt. She tossed them to him.

"Change out of those soaked clothes." She turned her back and although he was still wondering what she was up to, he complied. When he was done, she turned around, grabbed his hand again, and pulled him towards the bed. She knelt down on the mattress and tugged his fingers to get him to join her.

He tried to pull his hand free, but she tightened her grip.

"Kaname, what are you? Why?" She pulled once more and this time he came. She smiled as she nestled him under the covers with her and snuggled against him. He stiffened and she giggled.

"Relax Sousuke, we're just sleeping. You need to get some sleep or you're gonna drop dead."

"But Kaname this is highly inappor…"

She cut him off with a light tap to his forehead.

"Shut it baka, and go to sleep. I'm tired." She snuggled deeper into him with a sigh, and in moments her breathing had turned steady and she was fast asleep. Sousuke felt his own eyelids fluttering but fought them.

Besides he usually slept under his bed and he felt highly exposed on the mattress, especially with Kaname using him as a pillow.

The last few nights, however, had taken their toll on the young solider, and despite all his training he felt his eyelids drooping. Still, he marveled. She was sleeping against him so peacefully and willingly. That kind of trust…was humbling. Soon, however, the warmth and comfort of Kaname's arms was too much to fight against, especially in his weakened state, and fell asleep.

There was peace.

He didn't dream.

Fin


	3. A Thousand Words

**Disclaimer: See previous.**

**A Thousand Words**

**by Rogue Amazon Boo**

August 24th 79 Anno Domini, Mount Vesuvius erupts for a horrifying nineteen hours and buries Pompeii under ash and molten lava. Approximately three thousand six hundred people died.

April 25th 1902 Anno Domini, Mount Pelee begins erupting and on May 8th, the day of accession, the fury of the mount descends on Martinique. Approximately thirty thousand people were killed.

1792 Anno Domini, highwayman Nicolas Pelletier was the first person to be executed by the guillotine, the Treaty of Jassy ends the Crimean War, and Mount Unzen erupts and collapses in Japan creating a tsunami that killed fifteen thousand people.

Near the end of the twentieth century in Tokyo, Japan in the deceptively calm hallways of Jindai High School another eruption is about to commence. The effects at this time are unknown. Kyoko Tokiwa had felt the pressure building all day long. Her hands were practically shaking with anticipation and her camera was primed and ready. Her best friend Kaname Chidori was going to lose it very soon and the boy who was to be caught in the oncoming blast would be lucky to survive with his limbs intact.

Kyoko wouldn't have missed this for the world. This explosion promised to beget a picture that would be the crème de la crème of her Sousuke and Kaname album. She already had the perfect page picked out for it. Some (or more accurately a lot) of their classmates found her obsession with photographing the class president and the military manic more than a little weird, but she didn't let their opinions bother her.

She liked photos and she loved taking photos of absurd and awkward situations. Was it her fault that Kaname and Sousuke managed to fall into both categories on a fairly regular basis? Besides, the albums were for posterity. Kyoko had every intention of turning them over to Kaname on her wedding day. She smiled mischievously.

Her friend really was in a state of perpetual denial. It would be funny if it wasn't so infuriating. Although Kyoko sometimes appeared to be a little ditzy she was still Kaname's best friend, and she knew when the other girl was more than casually interested in someone. Casual was never a word anyone would associate with Sousuke. She tried it out on her tongue.

"Casual Sousuke." She giggled. It was an oxymoron. She grinned and skipped a little to get to her shoe locker. She could even understand how Kaname felt; there really was something about him that made a girl's knees go weak. Kyoko had never really thought too much about it, but she liked him, he was a good friend, and he and Kaname, as far as she was concerned, were near perfect for each other.

She paused in the middle of opening her locker and indulged in one of her rare, meditative moments. Kana seemed so sad sometimes and although she appeared to be outgoing and on the ball, she knew that her friend was really lonely. She also knew that when the other girl was with Sousuke that loneliness would fade away. Sometimes it was because she was so annoyed with the otaku that she couldn't think of anything else but laying into him, but other times it was the simple contentment she got from being around him. Sousuke could infuriate Kaname one moment and calm her the next, was it any wonder that Kyoko was fascinated by them?

She giggled again, switched out her shoes, and headed outside towards the track. She needed to be in position so she could get the optimal shot. When she got there others were gathered to see the spectacle. _I should have sold tickets; _ she mused and laughed a little. With a smile twisting her lips she sidled up to her boyfriend Ono-D. He grinned, put his arm around her waist, and dropped a light kiss on her lips.

She blushed a little and he hugged her closer. He loved that even after dating for two months she still turned pink when he kissed her. It was just so damn cute.

"So you ready for the show?"

She nodded against his side and held up her camera.

"Always." His grin became a smirk.

"You think she'll come?"

Kyoko shrugged.

"Of course. He asked her to."

Ono-D shook his head, his shaggy light brown hair flopping everywhere. She reached up and ran her small, slim fingers through it, trying to tame it. He caught her wrist and dropped a kiss to the pulse point. She blushed again and smiled softly.

"Man, Sagara is toast. Blowing up the school dance and then disappearing for two weeks. He's gonna be lucky to make it out alive."

A secret little smile twisted his girlfriend's lips, one that he missed. Not that it was surprising. Ono-D wasn't the smartest or most observant boy at school, but he could be unbelievably sweet when he wanted to be. She remembered the incident with the clothes eating bacteria. They'd both been struck dumb when their clothes had started vanishing and when she realized she was completely naked she'd been so embarrassed that she'd started bawling like an infant.

He'd been clueless for the first few minutes and had jumped around in a panic, until he'd hastily taken off his t-shirt and threw it at her. She'd sniffed a few more times and pulled the shirt on, holding the hem down to cover her butt and the curls of her sex. To her surprise Ono-D had blushed bright red and kept his eyes averted while he led her back inside the school.

She'd started to fall for him then. Her crush was cemented the day she returned to school after her kidnapping and subsequent hospital stay. She'd still been sore and weak and Ono-D had done anything and everything to help her, from carrying her books to fighting the roll line at lunch.

It took them a few months of dancing around but he'd finally asked her to a movie. They'd been dating ever since.

Her musings were interrupted by the arrival of Sousuke. Kyoko turned in her boyfriend's embrace and he ended up behind her with his arms around her slim waist. She was bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet in excitement and her boyfriend spent a moment enjoying what the motion did to her breasts.

She smiled again. He really was predictable, but she had to admit that it was flattering that he found her attractive. Her attention tuned in to Sousuke and she noticed he had Kana's favorite flowers with him. Her smile widened.

He'd listened to her and she found that immensely gratifying. Still smiling she let her mind drift back.

"_Miss __Tokiwa." Kyoko lifted her head from her shoe locker and looked up in surprise._

"_Sousuke! You're back!" He looks terrible, she thought sympathetically. _

_He stood near her, his spine straight and hands behind his back at attention. She had to force down her giggle._

"_Yes Miss Tokiwa, I've returned. I was hoping I might have a minute of your time? I need your advice."_

_She blinked, surprised. "Of course, what about?"_

_If he was the type of boy to do so he would have shuffled nervously, as it was he simply twitched his arms a bit. The small motion made her even more curious._

"_It concerns Miss Chidori. I am afraid that my actions during the school dance and my subsequent absence afterwards has upset her to the degree that she is refusing to speak with me. She has even threatened to have me reass…" He paused, thought better of what he was going to say, and coughed._

"_She no longer wants me to be a part of her life. I have tried to explain, but she seems unwilling to listen. I find myself facing what appears to be an insurmountable problem. I do not wish to cause Kan—Miss Chidori further distress. Tell me, do you believe that perhaps I should do as she wishes and leave?"_

_Kyoko frowned slightly, her expression sympathetic. Most people wouldn't have been able to tell, but Sousuke was extremely troubled. She could see it in his eyes and she only knew what to look for because she'd been with him that day that they'd shadowed Kaname when she went on a date with her old crush. _

_When Sousuke had realized that Kaname was seeing the young man socially he'd had the same crushed look in his eyes. _

_Unable to help herself she reached out a hand and lightly touched his arm. He stiffened and his arm jerked a little, but she didn't take her hand away._

"_Is that what she said? She told you to leave?"_

_He nodded. "She said that she…wished never to see me again and told me to leave her alone and to pretend she didn't exist."_

_Kyoko felt a flash of annoyance at her best friend. What Kaname had said to him was very harsh and she should have known how badly the otaku would take such a statement. If she didn't tread carefully there was a very good chance Sousuke would leave them because, despite appearances, she knew that the military manic was not invulnerable. _

_Carefully she asked. "Is that what you want to do, Sousuke? Do you want to leave?"_

_He frowned and his storm tossed slate eyes looked beyond her._

"_I-I do not know. I-I'm not use to…" He trailed off and said instead. "I just know that I don't like upsetting Kan—Miss Chidori. She has been angry with me before but this time…" His posture slumped imperceptibly. "I am afraid that this time she is unable to forgive my indiscretions and perhaps she would be better off without me in her life."_

_Sousuke didn't have to say how such a decision would affect him, she could see it in his eyes. Kyoko knew that there was something more to the boy in front of her than what everyone saw. She'd experienced a fraction of that something different when she'd been kidnapped, and whatever he was to Kaname it went beyond anything the rest of them would be able to understand. She didn't ask him about what he left unsaid, because she knew he wouldn't or couldn't talk about it. Whatever it was however, was moot. What was important now as convincing him that what her best friend said and what she actually meant were two totally different things most of the time. _

_Her lips twitched a little. That was the second time he'd almost let his strict discipline go and called Kana by her first name. Forcing down her amusement she schooled her face into a compassionate and earnest expression._

"_Sousuke, I can guarantee you that Kaname does not want you to leave. In fact if you did go she would most likely never forgive you."_

_His expression turned confused and he frowned deeply._

"_Why would Kaname express a desire for me to leave and then be upset because I abided by her wishes?" _

_Kyoko rolled her eyes in exasperation._

"_Because she just would. Sheesh, Sousuke, don't you know anything about women?" When he parted is lips to answer she held up her hand to forestall him. "Never mind, don't answer that."_

_He seemed even more troubled than before and she sighed._

"_Sousuke, here is what you need to do. Write a letter asking Kaname to meet you somewhere, give it to me, I'll give it to her, and then when she meets up with you, you can apologize. Bring Irises, they're her favorite."_

"_Irises?"_

_She gazed at him in disbelief and blinked stupidly when she realized he was serious._

"_It's a flower. They can help you at the flower shop. Get the purple and white ones."_

_He seemed to pause and think for a moment before nodding once._

"_You're strategy is acceptable. What do you think I should say to her?"_

_Kyoko smiled softly._

"_I think…that you should tell her how you feel." He started a bit and his face went blank. _

"_I don't…" He sighed and tried again. "I don't think that would be prudent, Miss Tokiwa."_

_It was her turn to frown. "Sousuke…you need to tell her. It's why she's so…" She trailed off, sighed deeply, and decided to try a different approach._

"_Do you know why Kaname is mad at you?" _

_His brow creased in thought. "Because at 2100 hrs two hostile subjects attempted to engage Miss Chidori in a slow dance and they would not listen to her protests when she refused. Thus, as was my duty as her escort, I devised the most efficient means to discourage their unwanted advances. The charges I set should have only had a minor disruptive affect, but someone had tampered with my detonators. The explosion was larger than I anticipated which resulted in the remainder of the dance being cancelled. Needless to say, Miss Chidori was displeased with me even though I attempted to explain my reasons for how I reacted. The night was further compounded when I received ord…" He paused and cleared his throat. "I was…called away unexpectedly and forced to take Miss Chidori home earlier than anticipated."_

_This time Kyoko had to suppress her grin. Wow, she thought, when Sousuke screws up he really screws up in style._

"_That's a…pretty good summary of what happened, but it doesn't answer my question."_

_He frowned again and looked even more confused. She had to stop herself from giving him a good hard shake._

"_I…that is…I-I apologize Miss Tokiwa; I fear that I am at a loss. I don't understand."_

_She smiled at him softly. "Sousuke…how did you feel when those two boys were trying to dance with Kaname?"_

_She watched his spine stiffen and he looked beyond her again._

"_I…that is irrelevant."_

_She shook her head. "No, it's not. Tell me, were you jealous?" He shifted a bit and looked decidedly uncomfortable._

"_I…"_

"_The truth, Sousuke."_

_He shifted again. It was minute but for the otaku it was the equivalent of a full blown nervous tick. _

"_I…perhaps I…"_

"_Sousuke!" She demanded and stomped her foot._

"_I didn't like it," he admitted, so softly that she wasn't sure she heard him correctly._

"_What was that?" _

_He flushed._

"_I didn't like it," he repeated, a little bit louder._

"_That is what you need to tell Kana. Don't you get it Sousuke? She needs to know how you really feel about her and if you don't tell her soon then next time she tells you to leave…she is going to mean it."_

_He looked beyond her again, unable or unwilling to meet her eyes. Finally he took a deep breath and nodded curtly._

"_I…understand. Thank you Miss Tokiwa, you have been most informative."_

Kyoko brought herself back to the present and her attention was caught by a familiar figure stalking purposefully across the field. Kaname looked fit to be tied and if her face was anything to go by she still hadn't forgive Sousuke. Her prognosis was confirmed when she walked up to the military manic, crossed her arms over her chest, and glared at him. Kyoko gulped. In her right hand Kana tightly griped her harisen and she was tapping it steadily against her folded forearms.

Sousuke was no stranger to that deadly paper fan and he was eyeing it nervously and she could see drops of sweat beading on his brow.

Kaname cocked an eyebrow. "All right solider boy, you asked me to meet you to, as you put it, 'negotiate a truce,' you've got one minute to convince me to stay and talk this out with you." The otaku swallowed hard and ungracefully thrust the flowers he held at her, crushing the stalks in his nervous fingers. A vein ticked in Kaname's forehead but she took the peace offering.

"Fifty seconds," she said. He swallowed again and cleared his throat.

"Miss Chidori I wish to apologize for my behavior at the dance. I-I was convinced that those two young men were a danger to you and as such I may have overacted…"

She scoffed and cut him off, growling. "Overreacted!? Overreacted! Sousuke…you blew up the gym! Forty seconds."

"As I was trying to say I am sorry for that, but I am not sorry that I preformed my duty. You're safety is of the utmost…"

Dark storm clouds seemed to crackle around her and she cut him off again.

"You've already apologized and frankly if you are just going to be repeating the same old, tired crap then I'm leaving. Thirty seconds!"

He jumped and his posture slipped a little.

"But my duty, Miss Chidori…"

She narrowed her eyes. "Your duty! Kami Sousuke, is that all you think about!? Don't you get it! I don't care about your duty!"

Her voice rose steadily with each word and he recoiled from her as if she'd slapped him.

"How can you say that, Kaname?" He replied, softly. She scowled.

"Because I'm tired of being your duty. I want to be…" _More, she thought. I want to mean more to you._

"Kaname," he whispered, helplessly. She averted her eyes and muttered.

"Fifteen seconds."

Frozen, the young Sergeant did something completely out of character. His rigid stance slipped and he ran a frustrated hand through his dark hair.

"I-I don't know what you want from me, Kaname!" She felt the words like a blow to her heart and her shoulders sagged.

"Than we have nothing more to discuss." Those last words came out as a whisper and he watched her brown eyes fill with despair as she turned to walk away from him.

For the first time in his life Sousuke panicked.

In a fit of depression he grabbed Kaname and wheeled her around to meet him. Her eyes flashed dangerously as she growled at him in warning.

"Sousuke, you'd better let me go." Her tone promised serious repercussions if he disobeyed her. He didn't listen.

"I have five more seconds. Please, you have to let me explain!"

"You have four…"

"Kaname I…"

"Three…"

He cursed and she frowned.

"Two…"

"Kaname stop this…You have to…

"One…Goodbye Sousuke." She tried to pull away from him and he responded by holding her tighter. Her fist convulsed around her harisen.

"Let…ME…GO!" She screamed the last word, but all Sousuke could hear was her goodbye ringing in his ears, the rest might as well have been white noise. Head spinning, heart pounding, he felt the words he'd promised himself he would never say to her clog his throat and when she raised her hand to hit him, he looked into her angry eyes and blurted.

"I was jealous. I hated that they were dancing with you and I wanted to…I wanted to hurt them, make them bleed for daring to touch you. I hate that I feel this way. Ever since I became your bodyguard I don't know if I'm coming or going. I feel inept and unprepared…nothing makes sense anymore. And then there is you. You make my pulse race and my head swim. You tie my stomach in knots, especially when I get too close. You make me…want things I've never wanted before. Things I've never experienced and don't understand. When I confided all this to Melissa she said something that terrified me. She told me I was in love with you. I denied it of course. Love? What do I know about love? I've never experienced…" He sighed deeply. "I just know that when I'm with you, I'm better than I am then when I'm alone. I just…."

He trailed off and abruptly let her go his head sinking to his chest as he stared at the ground. He took a deep breath and visibly collected himself. His spine straitened, his hands snapped to his side, and he stood at attention, his gaze moving beyond her to the horizon. Inwardly he was cursing his loss of control, outwardly he appeared to have turned to stone.

"Miss Chidori, I am prepared to abide by any demand you may make of me today. I apologize for any embarrassment I may have caused you."

He stood stiffly, unable to look at her and see the dismissal he was sure to see in her eyes. He was mentally steeling himself against what he was sure would be her command for him to leave her, but she surprised him.

Sousuke felt her fingers gently curl around his wrist and he jerked slightly, so slightly that if she hadn't been touching him she wouldn't have noticed. His slate eyes flew to hers and filled with confusion and then panic.

She was crying.

"Kaname?" He whispered. She sniffed and rubbed her nose with her free hand.

"O-Oh Sousuke…you're such an idiot!" His brows drew together and he gazed at her, completely perplexed.

"I'm…sorry?" She bopped him lightly with her harisen and to his complete and utter bewilderment, she smiled brightly at him.

"Crazy military manic! I swear every time I try to hate you…y-you go and say something unbearably sweet and beautiful."

He didn't really know how to respond to that but her smile and the unconscious caress of her thumb against his pulse point undid him. He took a deep breath and for the second time that night found words pulled from his soul that he'd thought to never speak aloud.

"Kaname…I'm not use to this…this sensation of feeling…well anything. I just…I think I might..." He took a deep breath and looked beyond her again. "I think that Sergeant Major Mao was correct in her assessment of my symptoms. I believe that I am, indeed, in love with you and I request permission to stay by your side so that I may understand and assimilate this knew knowledge."

This confession was delivered in the starkest and most precise officious tone that Sousuke possessed and Kaname Chidori responded first by hitting him with her paper fan…hard. He grunted and rubbed his head.

"Kaname, that hur…" He was interrupted by her second, much more surprising action. Kaname Chidori, class president, school goddess, and protected whispered, threw herself against him, knocked them both to the ground, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him.

Sousuke's eyes went wide, but soon they were drifting shut and he was opening his mouth to accept her invading tongue. It was the kind of kiss that started three alarm fires and usually led to the kind of activities that occurred between the pages of steamy romance novels.

On the sidelines Kyoko Tokiwa was grinning madly and snapping photos as fast as her camera could wind. Her boyfriend, Ono-D was simply standing there with is jaw wide open and a deep blush staining his cheeks.

He wasn't the only one. All around them the gathered students were frozen in various stages of embarrassment and amusement and disbelief.

Kyoko ignored them. It may not have been the kind of explosion she'd expected but it was the kind she'd secretly hoped for.

She just knew that Kaname would thank her when she finally relinquished her photo album to her on Kana and Sousuke's wedding day.

She, however, knew the importance of blackmail and she knew that she'd be keeping copies of these photos.

After all…someone had to be around to tell their children the story of how they finally managed to get together.

And Kyoko knew. A picture was worth a thousand words.

Fin


	4. Elysium

**LEMON ALERT! LEMON ALERT!**

**See previous disclaimers, and see above. If you no likey, no readey.**

**Elysium**

**By Rogue Amazon Boo**

Heaven was a state of mind. At least that's what Kurz had told him the last time they were stuck in some third world, hell-hole jungle while they were waiting for Mithril to reach the extraction point before both of them slowly bled to death. For Kurz, hentai supreme that he was, heaven looked a lot like Sergeant Major Melissa Mao dressed in see through black lace, holding a bottle of twelve year old scotch.

Sousuke's version was a little different.

In fact, if he had to choose he would say he was in heaven right now. With a barely there smile he looked down at the sleeping woman in his arms. Kaname Chidori made a half snore, half sneeze and snuggled closer to him and he stamped down the urge to chuckle. After all, he knew better than to wake her up, he had the bruises from her harisen to remind him, and with her plastered to his chest any mirthful sound he made would be felt.

Kaname was a cuddler, and he knew if he ever let that little fact slip in front of their friends she'd kill him. She always started out on her side of the bed but less than fifteen minutes into her REM cycle she'd manage to slide over until she had her leg draped over his, her arm flung haphazardly over his waist and her head nestled on his chest, tucked under his chin.

He learned to sleep comfortably with her weight trapping his left arm and her hair tickling his nose. Of course he'd been a Gorilla fighter. He could technically sleep in smelly cave huddled together with men who hadn't bathed in a week and livestock, but he'd wisely kept that fact to himself.

Sousuke inhaled deeply and used his free hand to gently caressed her silky cheek and smooth her hair off her forehead. She mumbled something unintelligible and her lips quirked into a brief smile before going lax once again.

Kaname smelled infinitely better than the caves of his youth. He especially like the aroma of her skin after they'd made love. She would smell like the lotion and bath products she used, combined with the scent of gun oil that always seemed to saturate his body. It would all mingle together with the odor of heated sex.

He inhaled again. She smelled like that now and unable to help himself he shifted so her body rolled deeper into his and snaked his trapped arm around her waist, resting it on her belly.

Slowly, he started making light circles around her belly button, enjoying the feel of her skin against his callused palm. Kami, she was so soft. Her skin felt like silk and her body was toned and pliant in all the right places. She made another murmured sound deep in her throat and shifted, causing the globes of her breasts to slide against his chest. He sucked in a breath and felt a stirring in his groin.

He wanted her again. He had a feeling he'd never be able to get enough of her.

Softly, he slid his palm up her waist, gently closed his hand around her right breast, and started kneading. A low moan parted her lips and she shifted against him again. His cock twitched. Carefully, he extracted himself and moved so that she was on her back and he was laid out next to her on his side.

She made a sound in her sleep not unlike a whimper, but it was soon satiated when he put his hand back on her and slowly ran it up and down her left side, tickling her ribcage. She giggled and batted at his fingers, but he evaded and kept going. He reached her other breast and used his fore and middle fingers to lightly tease the pink tipped nipple. It puckered under his touch and she withered again with a sigh.

Sousuke continued his light caresses, enjoying the feel of her skin and her unconscious response to his touch.

She was his light. He could still remember the dark, soulless place he'd sunk to when Gauron had told him that she was dead. He hadn't cared whether he lived or died, and perhaps even more chilling, he hadn't cared if anyone else did either. Kurz, Melissia, Tessa, Kalinin, all the people he'd served with, lost people with, had called friends. In that instant he hadn't cared if they ever made it out alive.

It made him shudder to think about it. That Kaname had assured him again and again that he was a good man, did nothing to blunt the knowledge of his own darkness.

He was a solider yes, but at one time he'd simply been a killer, an assassin. He'd taken lives without guilt or remorse…or understanding. That place still lingered inside him and he feared it. He could feel it sometimes, pulling him, calling him, but then he'd look at Kaname and he'd scream inside that he wasn't weak! She made him strong, she made him whole, and she gave him back everything that made him a good man.

His demons clamored and the pleasure he'd take from his leisurely mapping of her naked form turned to something else. Desperation reared its head and he rolled over her, cradling his hard manhood between her silky thighs, and lowered his head to suck her straining areole into his hot mouth.

He sucked hard and Kaname awoke with a jerk. Disoriented, she blinked sleep out of her eyes and made a half moan, half grumble. Sousuke didn't give her time to think. He nipped lightly at her nipple and then smoothed the tiny hurt with the pad of his tongue, before latching on to the other one.

She released a keening sound and her sleepy eyes narrowed on the back of his dark head.

"Sousuke, what the hell?"

He gave her nipple one last lick and started kissing her way swiftly down her body till he was eye level with her dripping labia. He lifted his gaze briefly and her brown eyes widened at the strange, desperate look in his slate orbs, before she lost all logical thought.

Sousuke looked at his salvation, sleep deprived, mussed, and cranky as hell, and dove between her thighs. He ran his tongue between her slit and worked the hard bundle of nerves with the tip. Kaname gave a half growl, half moan. He latched on, slammed his long, pink appendage into her and proceeded to feast.

Soon, she'd forgotten her earlier ire and had fisted her hands in his shaggy hair, urging him on. Sousuke continued to lap and play with her clit, bringing her closer and closer to climax. He felt her muscles convulse and her body stiffen as she screamed his name, before collapsing in a limp heap on the mattress. He licked his lips and silently, efficiently, and quickly, moved up her body, spread her thighs with his knees and entered her with one thrust.

Her eyes rolled back into her head briefly before refocusing on the man above her. He held himself ridged, biceps straining and his intense gaze locked with hers.

"Sousuke?" She breathed. He still didn't speak as he started to move deep inside her. Kaname mewled and moaned and rocked her hips, loving the way he felt. Her hands wrapped around his tense forearms and she ran her palms up and down the ridged muscles while he pounded into her. He would pull all the way out and slide back in, deeper, and deeper, until she felt as if he was trying to wrap his entire being into her skin.

The whole time his eyes never left hers and she was sure he saw the moment her orgasm crashed over her. It was so intense she blacked out for a moment before crashing back to reality. She blinked and found herself cradled in his arms while he rocked her body gently, back and forth, back and forth.

Concerned, and more than a little annoyed she pushed herself away just enough so she could see his face.

"Think you'd mind telling me what that was all about, baka?"

He noted her annoyed look and he frowned. "I wanted to make love to you," he said simply. She huffed and blew her hair out of her face.

"And this couldn't have waited until I woke up? It's three o'clock in the morning, Sousuke and I have class in four hours!"

He looked away, confused. "I-I'm sorry, Chidori, I didn't…it won't happen again."

He tried to pull away but she scowled at him and held on tightly.

"Uh-uh, no way buster. I didn't say I didn't enjoy it and if you have to wake me up then you found a pretty damn good way of doing it. You're timing just sticks. Also baka, if you think you get to wake me up to have earth-shattering sex and then not tell me what started it all, you've got another think coming."

He tried to pull away again, but she had him in a death grip. He, technically, could have gotten out of it, but he wasn't willing to hurt her to do so.

Silence stretched between them and as it grew tense she pursed her lips and cocked an eyebrow. He swallowed, and instinctively looked around for her harisen. Not seeing it but knowing that as the minutes ticked by she steadily grew more and more irked with him, he caved and asked the question that had sparked his desperation.

"Am I a good man?" Her brown eyes went wide and the annoyance was wiped away by an overflow of concern. Gingerly, she placed her palm on his cheek and caressed the stubble there.

"What brought this on?" He looked away. He didn't want to tell her. He never wanted her to see the ugliness he carried in him, the taint of blood and apathy that colored his soul.

"I don't know…" he looked away and then met her gaze again, his slate eyes intense. "What do you see in me?" he whispered. She felt a sting of moisture and blinked it away.

She hated when he got like this, and despite his evasions the few times he'd talked to her about it, she was pretty sure she had a good understanding of where all this came from. She wanted to pull him into her arms and hug him, protect him, and never let him go, but instead she brought out her harisen and bopped him one.

He winced and rubbed the spot on his head were she'd hit him, frowning.

"That hurt, Kaname." She smirked and kissed the tip of his nose.

"It was suppose to, moron." She paused and at his confused looked, rolled her eyes and continued. "You need to stop feeling sorry for yourself. You're a good man, a good solider, and honestly do you think I would have wasted my time on you if I hadn't seen something of value? Granted, you're still completely hopeless when it comes to basic social skills. I mean really, really clueless. I've honestly met five year olds with a better grasp of socially acceptable behavior, but you have a few other qualities that balance the scale. So stop being an idiot and kiss me."

He stared at her dumbfound and she huffed in annoyance before taking matters into her own hands. She swooped in and captured his lips in a deep kiss, causing him to moan. They only pulled away because they were getting a little light headed from the lack of oxygen circulating inside their brains. Sousuke gave her his version of a smile and she grinned back at him.

Suddenly, she yelped as he rolled her under him and in one swift fluid motion, buried himself inside her to the hilt. She stilled and moaned.

Fiercely, he whispered. "Skip class today." He punctuated his point by slowly sliding in and drawing out of her, scraping the nerves. She bit her lip and croaked.

"S- Sousuke, I can't. We're going over…O-Oh Kami that feels…" She lost her train of thought. He buried his head against her neck and shoulder blade and whispered urgently.

"Please Kaname." It was curt and low, but it was the equivalent of another man on his knees…begging. She bit her lips and groaned. Whatever, had gotten into him it looked like it wasn't going to go away anytime soon. She felt him move again and moaned loud and long. He made a sound that was half groan, half grunt.

"Please," he whispered again. This time she threaded her fingers in his hair and massaged his scalp as he moved inside her. He hit a particularly sensitive spot and she saw stars and white celestial light. He thrust again and she reached her breaking point. Mindless with want she bucked her hips against his.

"All right, you win solider."

Normally, she wouldn't have given in, but he needed her. It was in his ever murmur, every thrust, and every caress. Plus, it didn't hurt that he was turning her on to the point of pain.

He needed her, Kaname Chidori. She was both humbled and elated.

He whispered one last time. "Tell me I'm a good man?" She answered by capturing his lips in another kiss.

Sousuke felt his heart sigh. Here was his Elysium, his Valhalla, the rest given bruised and broken warriors…the rest of heroes. And even though he knew he was no hero the gods had been kind.

He moved over her, their motions frenzied, and both cried out when they reached the crescendo. When it was over he pulled her against him and moved his hands over the soft expanse that mesmerized him every time he touched her.

He was in heaven. He was home. The gods smiled.

_Fin_


End file.
